All the latest news from the U23s & U18s from Kirkby…

Taiwo Awoniyi Set To Sign For Liverpool

Taiwo Awoniyi is reportedly set to sign for Premier League side Liverpool. Awoniyi, 17, plays for the Imperial Soccer Academy in Nigeria, and features for the club’s U23 side. It is reported that Awoniyi is now set to sign for Liverpool, after the Reds beat Manchester City, Monaco and Porto to his signature.

Awoniyi is set to be heading to Liverpool for a medical before signing the paperwork on his 18th birthday on Wednesday and will reportedly sign a professional contract with the Reds. The striker has played two times in 2015/16 for Swedish side Kalmar FF. In those games, he scored one goal and made two assists.

The Nigerian has also worked his way through the youth ranks with his national side. He played eight games for the U17s, scoring four goals which earned him a call-up to the U20s. On his debut there, he netted a brace and has since developed to the U23 side.

Should Awoniyi sign for Brendan Rodgers’ side, he will be sent out on loan to Holland or Belgium to gain experience in Europe while his work permit issues are sorted out. He will be the second striker to be sent out on loan to Europe for the same reason in recent years, after Armin Hodzic spent two seasons in the Bosnian Premier League before he signed for Dinamo Zagreb last season. It is too late to apply for a work permit as he has been with the Nigeria U23 side in the Olympic qualifiers for the CAF U23 Championship.